Rescue crews are battling to reach people stranded in their homes and on rooftops as severe flooding and landslides have killed at least 41 people in central and southern Vietnam, the government confirmed on Thursday.

The country's environment ministry initially reported five people missing and a death toll of 16 earlier in the week, but significantly revised the figure upwards to 41 in a follow-up statement. The disaster has forced the evacuation of over 62,000 people from their homes for safety.

The relentless heavy rains, which have persisted for weeks, have caused major rivers to overflow, submerging towns and cities. Coastal areas, including the popular tourist destinations of Hoi An and Nha Trang, are among the worst affected. In Hoi An, the river burst its banks, flooding the historic town, while the province of Da Nang is also grappling with rising waters.

The infrastructure has suffered severe damage. Several major roads have been blocked by landslides, and a key section of the Mimosa Pass highway, a southern entry route into Da Lat, collapsed into a ravine. A bus was reported to have narrowly avoided the chasm. Services on several national train lines connecting the north and south of the country have been suspended indefinitely.

In response to the crisis, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung ordered the mobilization of army, police, and security forces in the heavily impacted provinces of Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak, and Gia Lai to "promptly relocate and evacuate people" to safe areas.

River levels have reached record highs, with the Ba River in Dak Lak province surpassing a 1993 record and the Cai River in Khanh Hoa province also surging to a new historic level.